We are so few
(with fearless speech:Tribute to parrhesia)
Nous sommes si peu,
We are so few,
us truthtellers, en vert
in green, or under the roses(1)
three more orange ones unbloomed
We four have parrhesia, fearless speech:
Duty obliges us to speak the truth.
Frankly, to be free and direct.
Fully, we speak all that we know.
Critically, we speak truth to kings and queens.
Not last, in Danger:
tell it all, and to hell with the consequences
intended and unintended.
There is not always a risk in the telling.
Except to kings and queens
Lady of Shallott, mes roses fleuriront toujours (my roses will always bloom)
Roses take their time, and they take your time, too, as does tenderness. Each rose grows alone. One rose at a time. Roses remember everything and don’t choose who they stand up to.
©Philippe du Col, 2025 🍊